1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a wind power installation comprising a pylon and a pod arranged at the tip of the pylon. The invention further concerns a method of controlling such a wind power installation. In that respect the term wind power installation in accordance with the invention also includes annex buildings in which for example a transformer or the like is disposed.
The invention further concerns a method of controlling a wind power installation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In horizontal-axis wind power installations, the generator which generates the electrical energy is disposed in the pod. That electrical energy is then passed by way of suitable conductors from the pod at the tip of the pylon to the base of the pylon or an annex building and is fed from there into the energy supply network. Provided for that purpose are further components such as for example rectifiers, switching installations, transformers and so forth, which, depending on the design concept of the wind power installation, are arranged in the pod and/or in the pylon of the wind power installation and/or in the annex building.
Depending on the operational efficiency of the installation, a power of certainly several MWs is to be transmitted. In that respect, once again depending on the design concept of the wind power installation, at least a part of the power—and frequently the entire power—is passed by way of rectifiers, where generally semiconductors are used as switching elements which have to switch considerable currents.
It will be appreciated that it is precisely when high levels of power are involved that high temperatures also inevitably occur, for example in the semiconductors but also in other components of a wind power installation, for example bearings. By virtue of the various causes, those high temperatures can result in the occurrence of a fire in such a wind power installation. A risk of fire also arises if for example, as a consequence of a technical fault, an arc is produced which in turn ignites combustible material in the proximity thereof. Such a fire can then easily result in damage to or destruction of important parts of the wind power installation so that the installation is prevented from continuing to operate. In that respect, in addition to the damage which is caused by the fire, there is then also a loss of output, until the wind power installation is repaired and brought back into operation again.
Since 1999, in accordance with the statutory regulations, wind power installations have already been equipped with fire extinguishing devices in the pod or in the pylon. Those devices are manually operable, which makes the use thereof difficult in an actual fire situation, more specifically if staying in the entire wind power installation should be life-threatening.
DE 100 05 190 discloses a wind power installation with a fire extinguishing arrangement for discharging an extinguishing agent in the pod, there referred to as the receiving space, by which a fire which has broken out is to be extinguished. Suitable devices are provided for that purpose in the pod of the wind power installation. A disadvantage with such a wind power installation however is that considerable amounts of extinguishing agent are already required to extinguish a fire in the pod of that known wind power installation. Considerably more extinguishing agent is required to extinguish a fire in the pylon of the wind power installation. A further disadvantage with that known wind power installation is that damage already occurs when a fire breaks out.